H.R. 3010 – Regulatory Accountability Act (Rep. Smith (TX) – Judiciary) This bill modifies the federal rule-making process by requiring agencies to consider numerous new criteria when issuing rules, including alternatives to any rule proposal, the scope of the problem the rule is meant to address, and potential costs and benefits of the proposal and alternatives. The measure creates statutory thresholds for regulations to be deemed "major" rules and "high-impact" rules — i.e., rules likely to cost more than $100 million or $1 billion a year — and requires that these rules proposals be subject to additional criteria and procedural steps.

This is another bill that will not create jobs and will not help millions of unemployed Americans over the holiday season. The GOP Leadership continues to bring bills to the Floor that will not help the economy.

The Rule makes in order the following amendments, each debatable for 10 minutes:

Rep. Moore (WI) Amendment. Would clarify that an agency shall take into account whether a problem disproportionately impacts certain vulnerable subpopulations (including veterans, low income individuals and families, and the elderly), and whether such an impact would be mitigated by new agency action

Rep. Olson Amendment. Would clarify that cumulative costs and benefits and estimated impacts on jobs shall include an estimate of the net gain or loss in domestic jobs

Rep. Jackson Lee Amendment. Would clarify that the agency would retain the discretion to determine whether to provide advanced notice, not later than 90 days, of a proposed rule prior it being published in the Federal Register

Rep.Jackson Lee Amendment. Would strike a section of the Act, which would allow any member of the public to petition for a hearing to determine whether the proposed rule fails to comply with the Information Quality Act, if the sole purpose of the petition is to unduly delay the implementation of a rule

Rep. Connolly Amendment. Would clarify that regulations to protect public health and safety would not be blocked or repealed by H.R. 3010

Rep. Nadler Amendment. Would exempt from the Act actions by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission under the Atomic Energy Act

Rep.Jackson-Lee Amendment. Would exempt all rules promulgated by the Department of Homeland Security

Possible Consideration of H.J.Res. 91- To provide for the resolution of the outstanding issues in the current railway labor-management dispute (Rep. Mica - Transportation and Infrastructure)

The Daily Quote

“House Speaker John Boehner (OH) said he was unsure of the impact on the economy if Congress doesn't extend unemployment insurance benefits and a payroll tax holiday on the agenda for lawmakers this month. ‘I'm not an economist, I don't know what impact it's going to have on the economy,’ he said in response to a question from NBC News at his weekly press conference.”

- NBC, 12/1/11

“Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics who's done work for both Democrats and Republicans, warned that failure to extend those [unemployment] benefits would make ‘real GDP growth will fall by nearly a percentage point and about one million jobs lost by the end of 2012.’"